GAMALEYA Institute, the manufacturer of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, showed a high level of effectivity against the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
Other studies also pointed to a lesser and slower decline of antibody levels for the Russian-made vaccine when compared to other vaccine brands.
Latest analysis by Italy’s Experimental Institute Lazzaro Spallanzani, Russia’s Gamaleya Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology and Moscow State Sechenov Medical University showed that Sputnik V is twice more effective in neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant.
The researchers pitted Russia’s Gam-COVID-Vac jab, known as Sputnik V, and Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty mRNA vaccine, against each other in a comparative preprint study. The study was published by the MedRxiv portal, a global hub for medical, clinical and related health sciences. The goal was to explore the efficacy of the two COVID-19 vaccines against the Omicron variant.
The examination was done by 12 Italian scientists in a lab setting in Rome, using blood serum samples of persons vaccinated with these jabs, who had similar levels of IgG (immunoglobulin G) antibodies and the same neutralizing activity against the initial variant of novel coronavirus registered in Wuhan, China.
The group’s findings showed that in comparison with the Pfizer jab, Sputnik V had 2.1 times more neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron in general, and 2.6 times more antibodies three months after vaccination.
When it comes to in-depth analysis of protection mechanisms, researchers noted that Sputnik V neutralizes the Omicron variant because it forms a stronger immune response due to the high level of antibodies. When reviewing the basic level of RBD (receptor-binding domain)-specific IgG antibodies, researchers pointed that within the upper 25 percent of samples with highest levels of IgG, 100 percent of individuals vaccinated with Sputnik V had these antibodies, compared to 83.3 percent in the Pfizer group. In total 74.2 percent of Sputnik V blood serum samples successfully neutralized the Omicron compared to 56.9 percent for Pfizer.
As to reasons why Sputnik V forms such an immense response to Omicron, there are several factors, such as producing a much broader specter of neutralizing antibodies, whilst the Pfizer jab uses the S-protein in proline-stabilized form aimed against specific parts of the antigen molecules, which, in case of the Omicron, are usually deformed by virus’s mutations.
Sputnik V’s heterologous prime boost technology also plays a role, with the Russian vaccine using two different carrier adenovirus vectors, with human adenoviral vector platform itself having an additional advantage of better imitation of the infection. The Spallanzani-Gamaleya MedRxiv publication mentions this approach as the most effective one.
“Today the necessity of third booster vaccination is obvious. And the most effective approach, already shown in several studies, is the use of heterologous booster vaccination pioneered in COVID-19 vaccines by Sputnik V.”
The single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine, on the other hand, is based on the human adenovirus serotype 26, which is also used as the first component of the two-dose Sputnik V. Plans for its production have been announced by manufacturers in countries such as China and India, South Korea and Vietnam, Serbia, Mexico, Argentina and Turkey. Among facilities on the list is the Serum Institute of India, which is known as the world’s largest vaccine producer.
The RDIF, or the Russian Direct Investment Fund, is the country’s sovereign wealth fund, established to make equity co-investments, primarily in Russia, alongside international strategic and financial investors, is in charge of Sputnik V and Sputnik Light’s production and international distribution.
RDIF CEO Kirill Dmitriev underlined the importance of the Russian vaccine in providing protection against the Omicron, which has been confirmed by the Spallanzani-Gamaleya study.
“The adenoviral vector platform has already shown high efficacy in combatting coronavirus mutations in the past. Heterogenous boosting with the use of Sputnik Light could raise the effectiveness of other vaccines, and partnership between various vaccine platforms plays a key role in light of challenges created by the simultaneous presence of Delta and Omicron variants,” Dmitriev stated.
Sputnik V is authorized for use in 71 countries with a total population of 4 billion people. The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been identified in November of 2021 and has rapidly become the dominant type of the novel coronavirus around the world. As of January 12, 2022, the Omicron has been present in 150 countries.